Clothes-line fastener.



l PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. G. MATHIS.

CLOTHES LINE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17. 1904iv l /Jzr/ezzfot the fastener.

Patented January 3, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERHARD MATHIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOTHES-LINE FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,172, dated January 3, 1905.

Application led August 1'7, 1904. Serial No. 221,060.

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, GERHARD MATHIs,a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city. (Brooklym) county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a clothes-line fastener which is of simple construction and permits the tension of the line to be easily and accurately regulated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my improved clothes-line fastener. Figf is a longitudinal section thereof, showing vit closed; Fig. 3, a similar section showing it partly open, and Fig. A a plan.

In carrying out the invention I employ a frame a, which is made of a single piece of metal. This frame has an eye 0,2 near one end of its shank portion and a longitudinal slot a', that is closed at both ends to provide a'n inner gripping or clamping surface a3 on its broadened jaw portion co4. The inner face of the jaw is bulged near the top to provide a nose (t5, which merges into a lower rentrant or deiiected portion a6, that curves inwardly.

Thus the nose c5 and deflected portion a form an ogee curve, whichv establishes a sinuous gripping-surface for the line, as shown in Fig. 2. This gripping-surface is provided with a longitudinal groove of uniform depth, which forms a sinuous recess or socket for the line. Z2 designates a lever pivoted in the slot et at H, and having an eye Z22 near its outer upper end. The inner lower end of the lever extends into juxtaposition with the gripping-surface a3 and of the jaw a* and constitutes the other jaw of The outer face of the jaw b3 is The convexity of the gripping-surface b3 corresponds to the concavity of the rentrant portion c6 of the jaw and forces the line up into such portion, so that a sinuous channel for the line is established. The gripping action is augmented by forming transverse corrugations on the gripping-face 3 of the lever.

In practice one end, A, of the clothes-line is passed through eye 52 of the lever 7) and knotted, as at A', and is supported by a pulley in the usual manner. Near the other end the line is passed downward through slot a of the frame and between the jaws and b3, as at A2. The tension on the end A of the line will pull the upper end of the lever b and throw the jaw b3 upwardly, which will force the portion A2 of the line into the rentrant portion a of the jaw ai, thereby holding the portion A2 in the sinuous channel formed by the grooves inl the jaws. The end A3 of the line is then passed upward through the eye c2 and knotted, as at A4. By pulling the section A2 of the line the slack may be taken up. To release or slacken the line, the end A3 is pulled, which raises the jaw of the frame and releases the grip of the jaw b3, as shown in Fig. 3.

What I c laim is- In a clothes-line fastener, the combination of a slotted frame having an eye at one end and a jaw at its other end, the inner face of the jaw having a sinuous groove, and a lever pivoted in the slot and -having a curved jaw which is provided with a groove coincident with the said sinuous groove, whereby a sinuous channel for the line is formed, substantially as speciiied.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan, New York, this 16th day ofAugust, 1904:.

GERHARD MATHIS.

Witnesses:

FRANK v. BRIEsEN, WILLIAM SCHULZ. 

